NY Jets not expected to extend Marcus Maye before deadline
By Justin Fried
The NY Jets remain embroiled in contract talks with star safety Marcus Maye. However, the latest report suggests that those talks seem to have stalled — perhaps permanently.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that "no deal is expected" between the two sides before Thursday's deadline. It seems likely that Maye will play the 2021 season on the franchise tag.
Rapoport said that the Jets have not responded to Maye's latest offer and that said offer has been "pulled from the table."
According to Rapoport, "negotiations went south" about two weeks before the tag deadline when the Jets offered Maye a contract with an average salary of roughly 20 percent below the franchise tag for 2021.
That means the Jets likely offered Maye a contract with an APY of around $8.5 million — substantially lower than the price tag he is reportedly looking for.
Don't expect the NY Jets to extend Marcus Maye anytime soon — if at all.
Rapoport's report also states that Maye had "significantly more in APY and guarantees from multiple teams heading into free agency."
Maye is likely looking for a contract somewhere in the range of $12-14 million per season which would pay him among the top players at his position.
Six safeties are currently on contracts with an APY of $14 million per season or higher. The Jets offering Maye roughly $8.5 million APY would make him the 16th highest-paid safety in the NFL.
Obviously, that isn't a deal that Maye is going to agree to. Not even close.
From the Jets perspective, they aren't looking to pay a soon-to-be 29-year-old safety on a long-term deal. This is despite general manager Joe Douglas' repeated insistence that extending Maye this offseason remained a "priority" for the team.
But from Maye's perspective, he played like a top-five player at his position last season, received All-Pro votes, and has been a model teammate and locker room leader.
He deserves to get his money. And he will — only it's looking less and less likely that it's from the Jets.
The two sides can revisit extension talks next offseason if they don't get a deal done by the deadline. But for now, it does appear as though Marcus Maye's time in New York might be coming to an end sooner rather than later.